Fan uses illegal Taser at Jets game

Jane McManus (follow her @janesports on Twitter) has covered sports since 1998 and began covering football just before Brett Favre's stint with the Jets. Her work has appeared in Newsday, USA Today, The Journal News and The New York Times.

Charlemagne McKelvey isn't sure how his father got an illegal Taser into MetLife Stadium on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 for the New York Jets-Dallas Cowboys game Sunday night, but he was also angry at the treatment Leroy McKelvey, 59, was shown before his arrest on aggravated assault and two weapons possession charges.

"He was attacked by four or five Jets fans for having a Dallas jersey on," said McKelvey, who is a host of "The Breakfast Club" morning show on Power 105 as Charlamagne Tha God.

McKelvey, who put up $22,500 in bail for his father Monday, noted that in a cell phone video purported to be of the incident, his father is on the ground in a defenseless position. McKelvey also attended the game but was in a different part of the stadium.

The website Deadspin posted a cellphone video Monday of the fight. One fan can be heard on the video saying: "How did he get in here with that thing?"

Earlier in the week, Jets coach Rex Ryan was asked about whether there would be a lot of Cowboys fans in the Jets home stadium.

Later in the week, Ryan backed down from those comments, and said that his intent had been misconstrued. He hadn't meant to threaten anyone.

"If it's somebody else coming to enjoy a game, that's fine. I'm not calling for our guys to do anything," Ryan said. "The safety of every fan is important to everybody in this organization, including me."

McKelvey is not sure why his father had the Taser, or how he was able to bring it into the stadium given the heightened security. His father came up from Moncks Corner, S.C. to attend the game, and McKelvey said that he and his father have been Cowboys fans all their lives.

While he was at the game, McKelvey said that his father, a cousin, and his father's girlfriend were in the stands wearing their Cowboys gear after tailgating for most of the afternoon.

When his father didn't stand for part of the opening ceremony, McKelvey said Jets fans started heckling the group.

"Where was security in the stadium?" McKelvey said.

MetLife Stadium CEO Mark Lamping said no one was seriously hurt in the incident.

There was an increased security presence at the game on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including bomb-sniffing dogs checking every car that entered. Fans were also patted down and had their bags checked, typical of game day security.

"Procedures for pat downs established by the NFL and used at every game were in effect at all entry gates," Lamping said in a statement.

It's possible there could be changes in the security methods, though. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is "always refining and improving our security procedures."

"These procedures have been successful in keeping items that can cause serious injuries out of our stadiums," Aiello said in a statement. "We will continue to be vigilant in protecting the safety of our fans."

McKelvey said that his father didn't know it was illegal to have a Taser. He was wrong to bring the weapon, McKelvey said, but he was attacked.

"My father was rooting for his team," McKelvey said. "Jets fans got upset but that doesn't give them the right to jump a 59-year-old man."

Jane McManus is a columnist and reporter for ESPNNewYork.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.